Let the Learning Begin…..

From the readings I have read and reflected upon, social networking is defined as an online community of people, located in any country or of any age, with a common interest who use a website or other technology to communicate with each other. Social networking sites help to build relationships by allowing users to interact and share information, ideas and opinions about their interests with the people in their online community or network.

B. List the social networking technologies and sites you already use (for personal, work and study purposes).

Social networking technologies and sites that I already use are:

Twitter– professional use including following specific educational hashtags

Scoop it! – professional use, I have curated 3 topics related to education

Wallwisher – professional use relating to collaborating and connecting after a conference

WordPress blog – set up to use mainly when completing my Masters

Edmodo – professional use to collaborate and communicate with likeminded teachers, as well as using the ‘groups’ setting to communicate with the classes I teach.

For the purposes of INF506 I have recently started accounts on Facebook, Linkedin and Flickr. I look forward to furthering my knowledge about many new and engaging social networking tools.

C. Describe what you expect to learn from completing INF506.

I expect to learn effective ways for Information Professionals, including Teacher Librarians, to use social networking sites effectively in the learning experiences of teachers and students. I would like to know more about Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 technologies such as facebook, twitter, flickr etc.. and how these technologies can be used to assist students in their learning journey both in the classroom and afterhours when completing school tasks at home.

The subject content investigated and learning journey undertaken throughout INF506 has enabled me to think deeply and reflect upon my thoughts and ideas about social media. Harvey (2009) suggests a teacher “should be a person who is experimenting with new technologies as they come along.” After researching, exploring and evaluating many new forms of social media I have furthered my knowledge and understanding of the educational benefits to people of all ages who immerse themselves in social networking environments.

I enjoyed the practical nature of this subject where I was able to trial and evaluate many different social media tools. I am now an active member of Goodreads, Linked in, Facebook, delicious, flickr and investigated many other tools such as Second Life and RSS. Although I am currently on leave and not working in a school at the moment, I found this subject very useful to assist me in carrying out further research into social media tools that I could implement in the classroom when I begin my new position in August 2013. I enjoying evaluating these tools and examining which ones could be successfully used in a middle school classroom to engage students and enhance their learning outcomes.

My new teaching role will be ‘Educational Integration Specialist’ in a middle school working with teenagers in Years 6-8. I will be using my newfound knowledge about social media tools gained throughout INF506 to implement social media tools that will engage students. My previous teaching experience is with primary age students where the terms and conditions state many social media tools are limited to above 13 year olds only. I am now looking forward to working with students who will have more access to social media tools and an already gained knowledge about social media.

Hanson (2013) states, “integrating social media into your work develops digital literacy, builds relationships, helps you meet teens where they are, and helps to provide access to information”. I agree with Hanson and can now (at the end of INF506) see the many educational benefits from using social media in the classroom. I am grateful that I have completed INF506 and have had the time to experiment with many social media tools. I can now take this newfound knowledge to my workplace and assist other colleagues to implement social media tools that best assist students to effectively meet syllabus outcomes.

Another piece of advice that I will be able to take with me into my workplace is to understand the fears teachers have and then give them concrete examples of ways to use social media in the classroom. Hanson (2013) suggests “modeling digital literacy practices for our school community” to support teachers using social media tools in practice. Fear of failure and lack of time to learn how to use the tools are factors that librarians believe are holding teachers back. Addressing these fears when talking to teachers will help to encourage them to introduce social media seamlessly into their classrooms.

Hanson (2013) recommends “finding out what current research says about using social media with teens in school”. I took on board this advice throughout this unit and curated a collection of blogs and websites to collate the best current examples of social networking tools for students and teachers. I created a new page on the social networking tool Scoop it! titled ‘Social Networking for Educators and Information Professionals’.

Utecht’s (2009) ‘Thinking Stick – Stages of PLN Adoption’ is a model that I will be able to refer to in my new teaching role as I assist teachers expand their professional learning networks in an online environment.

“Goodreads has fast become one of the more popular social sharing sites on the web. Not only is their site every bookworm’s dream, but their ability to create a very social atmosphere is an enviable model for every online business” (NetHosting Releases Case Study on Book Recommendations from Goodreads, 2013). I thoroughly enjoyed implementing the Goodreads project as part of Assignment 1 in INF506. “To use these tools successfully with students, teachers themselves need to become confident with them” (McGuinness, 2010). I now have the knowledge and experience needed to model this social media tool to colleagues and will be able to support them when introducing Goodreads into the classroom to enhance literacy outcomes. Another reason why I found the Goodreads project so interesting and worthwhile is that Goodreads “can last beyond the classroom and encourages reading far beyond the scheduled semester, grade and school life” (Crow, n.d.).

I agree that in a Web 2.0 world, “networking (or one’s ability to network) has become an important part of a Librarian 2.0’s professional toolkit” (Hay et al., 2013). I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to partake in INF506 and hence feel as though I have become better prepared with the experience of Web 2.0 technologies to implement as an ‘information professional’.

The subject INF506 was designed to “provide a broad understanding of the concept, theory and practice of social networking technologies within the context of libraries and information agencies and the work of information professionals” (Hay et. al, 2013). The learning objectives of this subject have been met by using the OLJ to evaluate and reflect on relevant readings and learning experiences. The three blog posts that I have selected to best reflect the subject content and objectives of INF506 are:

The above three posts highlight and reflect on the main themes of INF506: managing change with Web 2.0 technologies and the professional practice of Library 2.0. Valenza (2009) writes a “teacher librarian position in the networked world is more of a moderator or coach, the person who can effectively interact with information and leverage it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond”. INF506 has encouraged and emphasized the critical importance for informational professionals to educate themselves and become active participants in a changing Web 2.0 world. Cohen (2006) suggests the following advice for teacher librarians to “focus on the attitudes that a successful librarians in the 2.0 world might possess”. Recognize change and become an active participant in moving forward by ‘working with colleagues to expedite our responsiveness to change” (Cohen, 2006).

Web 2.0 is an exciting time for technological change, it allows for a new breed of librarians who will be able to embrace change and extend their state of mind beyond the traditional library skills of cataloging into “experimenting and trying to find new ways to employ new tools in our libraries” (Harvey, 2009). A key point made by Schrier (2011) suggests “when done properly, a social networking program provides a way for digital librarians to develop rapport with users, extend general awareness of the digital collection”. This will establish the librarian as a knowledgeable, helpful, and easily accessible source of authoritative information regarding a given subject area. A Web 2.0 librarian will be better able to serve library users research needs and to improve communication by “providing resources and services that users want and need”(Cohen, 2006).

INF506 course participants were “encouraged to explore what it takes to become a social networking producer, rather than just a consumer” (Hay et al., 2013). That is adopting the approach of a social networker who creates content to share with others, rather than just a consumer (Utecht, 2009). Once teachers have “immersed” themselves in Professional Learning Networks and “evaluated” their networks they will progress through the emerging of Utecht’s ‘5 Stages of Personal Learning Networks Adoption’. As a result, teachers will then be more equipped to “help young people shift from being consumers of the internet to creators on the web” (Lamb, 2009).

Social networking sites assist users to see connections that are hidden in the real world. They assist users to “make the connections between people visible and help users get to their next destination e.g. new career, hobby, new partner etc. (Common Craft, 2007). According to McGuinness (2010) the most important reason for using social media in education is to “prepare students for careers that will require online proficiency and competency”.

“According to Nielsen Online social media has become an essential part of most people’s everyday lives” (James, 2012). “Social Networks are now visited more often that personal email is read” (Chapman, 2009). Therefore it is imperative, that we as information professionals educate students about how to create a positive digital footprint and teach them the skills necessary to succeed when using social media for both professional and personal use in a Web 2.0 world.

‘INF506 Social Networking for Information Professionals’ provided many practical tasks and experiences to clearly illustrate the many educational and collaborative benefits of Web 2.0 social networking tools. The completion of the modules, assignments and OLJ assisted to develop a deeper understanding of social media tools by communicating effectively and working collaboratively with others. INF506 students used a range of technology tools, to develop their own capacity as social networkers, online learners and information professionals.

You will need to write a short evaluation (no more than 400 words) of your use of Second Life as a 3D virtual world throughout this session. Include a critical evaluation of the effectiveness of different features/functions and learning experiences encountered, as well as a brief statement on the different ways an information organisation may be able to utilise Second Life to support information services, learning and/or collaboration of users and/or employees.

Second Life is a free 3D virtual world program where users can socialize and connect with other users in an online environment. Second Life users create an avatar and engage in individual and group activities online. Some of the features include using free voice and text chat.

I have never been interested in online gaming. However, seeing as Second Life is one of the most popular 3D virtual worlds on the web, I decided to create an avatar and give this gaming program a try.

I believe the strengths of Second Life to be: communicating and interacting in an online environment, promoting risk-taking, anonymity, making friends, ability to create online “groups” and it is free.

I believe the weaknesses of Second Life to be: age limited to 16 years old, definitely not user friendly, can lead to an addiction of online gaming, limited and / or very little educational value, program needs to be downloaded from the internet in order to access, confusing to use.

I appreciated the extra Second Life support sessions that were provided by CSU staff throughout INF506. However, I still experienced a great deal of difficulty using this program and could not see it as “an ideal space for learning”(Helmer & Learning Light, 2007, p. 5). I do see Second Life as “a chance to engage a younger generation of learners” into the online world of gaming, that is, having fun online and not necessarily being a tool for educational purposes.

In my opinion there are many other social media tools that exhibit much greater educational value and a higher level of engagement and interaction for users that Second Life. I believe the following tools are more successful at providing engagement and educational attributes in a Web 2.0 world: Edmodo, blogs, facebook, twitter, flickr, Google apps, Goodreads, wikis, wordclouds… and the list goes on.

View this YouTube video called ‘Building Academic Library 2.0’. Consider advice provided by one or more of the speakers in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select five (5) key pieces of advice from these speakers, and consider how these may be applied to your library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post (of no more than 350 words in your OLJ).

In my current position as a primary school teacher, I work in partnership with a team of innovative teacher librarians. The following thought provoking pieces of advice in the video file titled ‘Building Academic Library 2.0’ created by Berkeley Academic Library U.S. related to me and encouraged me to reflect:

Leave comments open on your blog. People write useful comments and replies on library blogs, these comments can help other library users to learn. Is your library ready to be “open” and share feedback from users. This is a good honest way to ask questions to library users and then leave their comments open for others to read. This allows users of the library to connect and shows students that the library “cares” and values their feedback.

RSS feeds. Allow users to acquire content and information on their own terms by subscribing to RSS feeds on particular websites that contain information that users are interested in e.g. news websites, natural disasters websites, receiving others blog updates. Users subscribe to the RSS feed and then receive updated information by email or text. This could be particularly useful in a school library when new books are catalogued and ready for borrowing. Therefore library users will not have to visit the library website to look for information about new books, the information will come to them, they can read the content when they are ready, then immediately take action.

Don’t focus just on technologies. Think about the technology have nots, that is the issues / items that don’t consist of the use of technology. Non-technological items can be useful and powerful learning tools too.

Build a learning culture. A huge amount of money in school budgets is spent on teachers attending Professional Development courses / conferences and covering teachers when they are at these events. Valuable professional learning can take place in-house within a school, by teachers sharing ideas and successful teaching strategies with one another. If a learning culture is developed within a school this will result in staff developing programs and becoming more comfortable when using technology.

Develop a risk-tolerant culture. Let users evaluate new technologies and make changes to their teaching programs. I have seen this developed successfully in schools when time has been specifically devoted for staff to critically evaluate new technologies, to play and experience and experiment with blogs, wikis etc… If teachers do not have time to work with these new tools, resentment towards new technologies takes place.

READ the post A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries (22 January, 2010) on the Social Networking for Libraries blog. Consider this advice in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select advice from five (5) letters of this A-Z list and consider how these may be applied to this library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post (of no more than 350 words in your OLJ).

E-books – The library at my school has introduced ebooks into the library collection at the beginning of 2013. This has been through the application Overdrive. Ebooks are proving to be very popular amongst students and parents. They can be viewed on a range of devices e.g. ipad, ipod. There are plans to expand the collection of ebooks in 2013 and 2014 in order to link the collection to the Australian Curriculum.

Blogging – Blogging allows for responses and comments from readers of your blog. This proves especially beneficial to students as they gain feedback from readers of all ages around the world, from both a known audience and a not known reader. Blogging allows students to interact and connect with users in an interactive way allowing conversations to take place. WordPress is currently being used as a blogging platform in the library at my school.

Nings – At the Flat Classrooms Conference 2013 in Japan, a Ning was used as the platform for communication during the conference. A Ning is similar to a wiki where users have access to communicate in a shared online space. Resources, conference details, introductions and all communication took place on the conference Ning. A Ning could be a useful tool to introduce for staff to share their professional learning at my new school.

Slideshare – This tool has not been used at my school yet. However I have seen it confidently and seamlessly used by many innovative teachers and students. Slideshare is a useful way to share presentations with an online community and between a range of devices during group presentations.

Goodreads – A free online site for booklovers to share book reviews and current reads. This tool is very user friendly and encourages students to develop their love of reading. The interactive nature of the site allows users to add “friends” and create “groups”. The senior library at my school is currently looking into implementing this tool with senior students. The online engaging nature of the site makes reading fun.

Based on your reading in Modules 1, 2 and 3 so far, and your examination of Abram’s and Harvey’s definitions of Librarian 2.0 and the views presented in the above YouTube clips, define what you believe to be the essential knowledge, skills and attributes of an information professional in a Web 2.0 world.

According to Harvey (2009) a librarian in a Web 2.0 world “should be a person who is experimenting with new technologies as they come along” and finding the right one to match to the needs of your students. A Librarian 2.0 is someone who is able to distinguish between the hyped up technological tools and tools that will engage and interest their users as well as catering for their needs.

Partridge (2010) states that technology is just “one part of Library 2.0 librarians need to be aware of, they need to have some understandings of the emerging technologies – what is available and what it can do and how to make it do what is needed – but they do not need to be IT professionals per se.” It is essential that Librarians 2.0 demonstrate a “need to be interested in, engaged in and committed to lifelong learning” in a Web 2.0 world (Partridge, 2010).

Library 2.0. is a “new culture of participation catalyzed by social web technologies” (Holmberg et al., as cited in Partridge, 2010, p. 677). Examples of Web 2.0 tools include podcasts, voice thread, cloudtags, youtube, flickr, paddlet, diigo, blogs etc. that allow interaction and social collaboration between communities. “A driving force in our decision making about what tools to use should always be our patrons and whether the tools can help us do a better job of delivering services” (Harvey, 2009).

Library 2.0 has changed the library brand, libraries are no longer just about books, instead they are also about collaboration, communication, socialization and interaction on many different levels between library users. Librarians 2.0 are focused on “initiating communication channels and networks, and creating opportunities where users can communicate, interact and create together” (Partridge, 2010).

In a Web 2.0 world librarians are seen as digital life coaches and mentors, assisting “students to move from being knowledgeable to being knowledge-able” (Hughes, 2010).

Research two (2) additional examples of ‘RSS in action’, and develop a 350 word post to your OLJ on how RSS can enhance a library or information service’s ability to meet the information needs of its users.

RSS, which stands for Real Simple Syndication (or Rich Site Summary) refers to the way in which people are able to subscribe to content on various websites and receive regular summarised updates. Instead of searching for information on a variety of websites, the process is reversed and information is sent to the user via an RSS feed immediately as it is published. I agree with Richardson’s comments that ‘RSS is the one technology educators should be using and teaching their students to use’ (2005).

The two RSS feeds that I chose to research are:

Board of Studies – This RSS feed is useful for receiving information about NAPLAN dates, closing dates for consultation comments about Australian Curriculum, new resources suggestions, HSC marking information and dates. It has been very useful receiving this information in my inbox rather than having to go searching for it on the NSW Board of Studies website. I believe that this RSS feed would be especially beneficial for any Primary or Secondary Principals or Curriculum Coordinators. Teacher Librarians would find RSS messages relating curriculum / syllabus changes and suggested resources very useful as this would assist them in acquiring resources for the library.

ABC Net – This RSS feed is useful for receiving breaking news that is “Just in”. Teacher librarians would find this RSS feed useful in schools when relevant world wide information is needed immediately as it becomes available e.g. current affairs, natural disasters, elections.

I believe that subscribing to RSS feeds is an invaluable tool for libraries and information services because it is a free, quick and easy way to gain relevant information to pass onto users without having to search through a large number of websites. I have found it useful to subscribe to innovative educators blogs, this allows me to immediately receive their new blog entries and hence keep my professional learning evolving. I don’t have to remember to visit a particular website, the content is pushed to me and I am able to read the information on my own terms saving time.

From the readings I have read and reflected upon, social networking is defined as an online community of people, located in any country or of any age, with a common interest who use a website or other technology to communicate with each other. Social networking sites help to build relationships by allowing users to interact and share information, ideas and opinions about their interests with the people in their online community or network.

B. List the social networking technologies and sites you already use (for personal, work and study purposes).

Social networking technologies and sites that I already use are:

Twitter– professional use including following specific educational hashtags

Scoop it! – professional use, I have curated 3 topics related to education

Wallwisher – professional use relating to collaborating and connecting after a conference

WordPress blog – set up to use mainly when completing my Masters

Edmodo – professional use to collaborate and communicate with likeminded teachers, as well as using the ‘groups’ setting to communicate with the classes I teach.

For the purposes of INF506 I have recently started accounts on Facebook, Linkedin and Flickr. I look forward to furthering my knowledge about many new and engaging social networking tools.

C. Describe what you expect to learn from completing INF506.

I expect to learn effective ways for Information Professionals, including Teacher Librarians, to use social networking sites effectively in the learning experiences of teachers and students. I would like to know more about Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 technologies such as facebook, twitter, flickr etc.. and how these technologies can be used to assist students in their learning journey both in the classroom and afterhours when completing school tasks at home.